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Anantasūra's Inscriptions: Why Among Others? Anantasūra’s Inscriptions: Why Among Others? Toe Hla Professor of History, Mandalay University and Head, Myanmar Historical Commission (Retd) 2 ABSTRACT This paper assesses the thirteenth century inscriptions of Anantasūra and his wife at Maṅ:nansū (Minnanthu) Village in East Bagan. The identity of the donor and significance of the couple’s donation of a monastery, pagodas, lands, slaves and other goods is detailed. The explanation of the primary information from the inscriptions underlines the historical value of the epigraphy of Bagan and its role in understanding the social and religious life of this period. Figure 1. Lehmyethha temple in scaffolding after 2016 earthquake Introduction I once prepared a paper entitled “Anantasūra Kyokcā Le,-lā-khyak, AD 1224- 1235-- A Study of Anantasūra’s Inscriptions, AD 1224-1235” that attempted to portray the life of Pugaṁ (Bagan) people and their belief system with special reference to Buddhism. This paper translates, summarizes and updates my previous publication. It is a study of three inscription stones, erected by a Pugaṁ aristocrat and wife in which they recorded their meritorious deeds of building a temple, two stupas, many monasteries, a library, a preaching hall, rest houses, and a big brick water tank, two wells together with over two hundred kywans (slaves) and several thousand pè of land. The donors said that they primarily desired to attain enlightenment (Buddhahood) so that they 3 could liberate all beings from Saṁsᾱra (rounds of births and rebirths). Moreover, they also intended to enhance welfare of the local populace in worshiping the Buddha images in shrines, holding religious ceremonies, observe Sabbaths and listen to sermons given by monks in these buildings. Furthermore, having dug a large water tank and wells, people were free from concern over water. It brought forth much fruit for all living beings. Background: King Aniruddha and Pugaṁ Let me begin my study with King Aniruddha (AD 1044- 1077), the first founder of Myanmar Empire. People in Pugaṁ had professed Buddhism of Northern School prior to King Aniruddha. The great king introduced Theravada Buddhism to Arimuddanapura1(Pugaṁ) of the Tanpradit2 Land. It was done under guidance of Rhaṅ Arahaṁ, an Arahant(saint) who came from Sathuṁ(Thaton). Native historians unanimously agreed that King Aniruddha was the first in his Kingdom to convert to Theravādin Buddhism. Moreover, the king carried out many constructive works for propagation and perpetuation of his new creed. He built large and splendid Buddhist stupas (pagodas) for popular worship and introduced Myanmar alphabets for transliteration of the Tipitaka (three baskets) texts originally written in Mon-Pāli script. The earliest use of Myanmar alphabets to write Pali3 can be seen on king Aniruddha’s votive tablets that read “Eso bhagavᾱ mahᾱrᾱja sirī Aniruddhadevena kato vimuttatthaṁ sahatthe nevᾱti”— meaning “his great majesty made it (this Buddha Image) by his own hand in order to be freed from 1 Arimaddana is the name of the old Pugaṁ (Bagan) Capital in Pāli and Taṁpradit was the name of the Region wherein the former was located. See “Rājakumar Inscription” in four languages, Bamā, Mon, Pāli and Pyu in Epigraphia Birmanica, vol. I, part i. Yangon, GPP. 1952, Reprint. 2 Taṁpradit is a corrupted word, derived from Tampadīpa in Pāli—meaning coppery land. This word is found in the inscription of Shaṅ Disā Prāmok in about AD 1287. 3 As far as we know there is no Pali alphabet. Buddha’s Pitaka Scriptures were transcribed in the script of each place. It was transcribed for example in Sri Lankan alphabet for Sri Lanka; in Thai alphabet for Thai and in Myanmar alphabet for Myanmar; etc. 4 saṁsᾱra”. We, therefore, owe a great debt of gratitude to his majesty for introducing Theravada Buddhism and for inventing Myanmar alphabets. Since then, Buddhism as well as Myanmar language and literature has gradually prospered. Numerous lithic inscriptions and ink glosses on interior walls of Pugaṁ temples are the silent witnesses of literary developments in this period. Needless to say, the great task of inventing Myanmar alphabets and transliterating Mon-Pali Buddhist Scriptures into Myanmar-Pali fell on the shoulders of learned monks under patronage of King Aniruddha. How and when it was implemented is not known exactly. No evidence except logical assumption is so far available. The king built a Pitakat Tuik—library wherein these Tipitakat scriptures were deposited.4 Along with the invention of Myanmar alphabets monastic education came into existence. Throughout the Pugaṁ Period kings and people alike built libraries, copied Buddhist texts on corrypher palm leaves and made cᾱtuiks--manuscript chests to keep copied Buddhist texts in, and donate them to monasteries for enhancing Pitaka scriptural studies and monastic education. King Aniruddha was successful in his nation-building. His achievements can be seen in organizing all scattered petty states, in agricultural development by constructing weirs and canals for irrigation, in prosperity of Buddhism in line with the Theravadin School, and in establishment of monastic education that gradually led to the blossoming of Pali and Myanmar literature both in prose and in poetry. All books of Buddhist scriptures in Mon-Pali and Myanmar-Pali were deposited in his royal Library. Since that time, monasteries became important learning and teaching centers in the kingdom. The major Buddhist texts were a set of Tipitaka—Three Baskets of Buddha’s Teachings, to wit: Sutta—the Discourses; Vinaya—the Monastic 4 U Kala, Mahᾱ Rᾱjawaṅkri:(Great Chronicle) in 3 vols., Yangon, Yarbyei SaokTuik, 2006, 5th edition, vol. I, p. 166 5 Disciplines; and Abhidhamma—the Theory of Doctrine5 and their commentaries and sub-commentaries taken from Sathuṁ(Thaton) of Mon Kingdom in AD 10576. No inscription except a short Pali verse in Myanmar alphabet on his votive tablet was left by this great king as a record of his achievement. Anyhow, Myanmar writing system was then on the track of development. Since that time, it has been a royal custom that every king soon after he had ascended the throne was to build a pagoda and a monastery of extraordinary size or grandiose type to receive the recognition of the monastic community and of the people as Sāsana Dāyakā--Patron of Buddhism. Pugaṁ aristocrats and wealthy people in the kingdom were devoted to building these kinds of religious structures for the prosperity of Buddhism. Thus the Pugaṁ Area had become crowded with religious monuments built in successive periods, by successive rulers and people. Within a 10-mile radius there were once over four thousand religious structures. Pugaṁ thus became a holy land for Buddhist pilgrimage. Anantasῡra and wife and their inscriptions Now let us turn our attention to a couple of Anantasῡra and wife and their inscriptions. There are ten lithic inscriptions kept in a brick shed in the Le:myaknhā Temple precincts at Maṅ:nansū Village. Among them, three belong to this couple. As these inscriptions indicate, the couple was so generous that almost all of their wealth movable and unmovable were spent on construction of religious structures, including a temple of medium size, two twin pagodas, many monasteries, a preaching hall, rest houses, a large water tank, two wells, together with over two hundred kywans and several thousand pè of 5 T. W. Rhys Davids and William Stede, Pali-English Dictionary, London, The Pali Text Society,1921-1925,p.79. 6 Phayaphyu Sayadaw, Kalyᾱnī Kyokcᾱ(Kalyani Inscription in Pali-Myanmar), Yangon, Hanthawady Press, 1938, p.76. 6 land. 7 They also planted many toddy palm trees around their religious establishments and a large water tank for landscaping. Anantasūra was a high ranking official in the Pugaṁ Court. One inscription says that he was an Amattyā Mahā Senāpati—Minister and Commander-in-Chief.8 Myanmar kings, officials and courtiers alike, used to build religious establishments and endowed their edifices with kywans (slaves) to take care of their meritorious works. These were then under the custody of the kywans for land cultivation that funded maintenance. Their meritorious deeds were inscribed in detail on stones which were erected nearby their establishments to publicly proclaim the donation for future reference. These inscriptions are indeed genuine documents and reliable sources of the period. They actually shed light on, at least, three spheres: on administration, on social life and on Pugaṁ’s Buddha Sᾱsanᾱ (Buddha’s Teachings). Epigraphic evidences are ample enough if we can glean historical data painstakingly from these inscriptions. Thanks are due to Pugaṁ well-wishers or donors for bequeathing us their picturesque and grandiose religious structures and many informative inscriptions as our deeply esteemed national and cultural heritage. The donor Anantasῡra Now let us study Anantasῡra.9 This name or title ‘Anantasūra’ cannot be found in Pugaṁ chronicles. However, as some inscriptions reveal, we know a person who held the title of Anantasῡ or Anantasῡra in no less than five 7 One pè is equal to 1.75 acres. 8 “Inscription of Anantasῡra and Wife,” A Four-faced Inscription, Pillar no. 2,dated AD 1223, U Nyein Maung (comp. and ed.), She-haung Myanmar Kyauk-sa-mya,(Ancient Myanmar Inscriptions ) Yangon, Archeology Department, 1972, vol. I, ll.1- 2, p. 151. (Henceforth, Nyein, 1972). 9 All Myanmar chroniclers used to mention an officer by the title of Anantasῡrira who served under King Narapati Cañsῡ (1174-1211). But his rank was not mentioned. Having the same title and serving under the same king this person is thought to be the one who wrote a poem composed of four stanzas on the eve of being executed. But this Anantasῡ was not put to death by the king 7 inscriptions10. As titles were different, so also were the occupations and ranks. One Anantasῡ was Amattyᾱ Mahᾱ Senᾱpati (Minister & Commander-in- Chief)11 Another Anantasῡ was a Phun sañ (Cushion-maker).12 Another was Skhaṅ (Lord) Anantasῡ.13 The other and the last one was a Saṁbyaṅ (lesser official) Anantasῡ.14 What I would like to assume is that it was this Anantasῡ(ra) with different spellings.
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